Diagnostic utility of cholescintigraphy and ultrasonography in acute cholecystitis.

When faced with a patient with possible acute cholecystitis, technetium-99m-HIDA scintigraphy should be the primary diagnostic procedure performed. If scintigraphy reveals a normal gallbladder, acute cholecystitis is excluded. If the scintigram fails to visualize the gallbladder, ultrasonography is deemed advisable to exclude potential false-positive scintigrams and confirm the presence of cholelithiasis.